Hurricane Milton Intensifies to Category 5, Florida Prepares: Live Updates

Another monster hurricane is set to strike the U.S. just two weeks after the last one. Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified to Category 5 strength on Monday, less than two days after it formed as a tropical storm over the Gulf of Mexico, and it’s expected to barrel into the center of Florida’s west coast sometime Wednesday night. It’s currently forecast to weaken but expand in size before making landfall. Milton will arrive two weeks after the highly destructive Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region. That storm killed at least 227 people across six states. Below are live updates, analysis, and commentary on what might happen with Milton.